The Federal Reserve’s increased aggression over the past couple of years has finally come home to roost. The yield on the 10-year Treasury recently rocketed above 2.8% – a four-year high – while the 30-year cleared the 3% mark.

The 10-year T-note might as well have been a “high-yield” savings account the past few years, offering almost laughable income of less than 1.4% as recently as 2016. That kind of environment gives investors “yield goggles,” making even no-growth stocks look attractive as long as they’re paying out near 3%.

Just look at the performance of the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) – a collection of companies such as Procter & Gamble (PG) and Coca-Cola (KO) – against the 10-year Treasury rate.… Read more

So stocks have had their steepest nosedive in seven years, and with the whipsawing market we’ve seen since, you might—might—be entertaining the knee-jerk urge to sell.

I have one word for you: don’t.

I’ll tell you why in a moment.

First, let’s look at why this panic happened, and where things go from here.

“It Means Nothing”

I’ve already fielded calls from worried family members and friends asking about their 401ks. When my mother emailed to ask if the Dow losing 1,100 points in a day was a big problem, I responded with three words:

“It means nothing.”

Of course, for everyday folks counting on stocks and bonds to fund their retirement, seeing a 4.6% drop in a day is horrifying—especially if you remember 2008, when such drops were the beginning of a horrific bear market that ended with a 50% decline in stocks.… Read more

Market gyrations don’t matter when you can generate $69,137 over the next 12 months on a capital base of just $350,000. The secret? Monthly cash flow that adds up to 20% average annual returns regardless of what stocks do.

It’s an income investors’ dream – banking regular payments without having to worry about a pullback for the pricey (and increasingly wobbly) stock market.

“Buy and hope” investors are, understandably, terrified today. They’ve bought their shares – and now all they can do is hope the market regains its footing.

We income investors prefer to calculate rather than gamble. It’s why we demand dividends.… Read more

Interest rates are soaring, the market is panicking … and dividend stocks are yesterday’s news. Right?

Yes and no.

While some double-digit paying dogs should be sold immediately—market meltdown or no—there are other stocks (here I’m talking about top-notch dividend growers) that are ripe to be bought for 25%+ upside in the next 12 months.

There’s no doubt the 10-year Treasury yield’s recent run to 2.8%, an 18% rise since January 1, has slammed the brakes on the stock-market rally and hit high-yield plays like REITs particularly hard.

10-Year Rises, High-Yielders Wobble

If you hold high-yielders in your portfolio, you know what I’m talking about.… Read more

Dividend growth is the key to retirement because it fends off the effects of inflation. Even amid low inflation of 2% to 3% a year, a stagnant dividend will actually lose 2% to 3% of purchasing power a year. The only way to actually grow your income over time, then, is to invest in companies whose management makes rising dividends a priority.

That’s one reason you should buy stocks before their dividend increases. And we’ll review nine upcoming payout raises in a moment.

But there’s a second reason that’s coming to the fore of late: interest rates.

While the Federal Reserve has tried to put the spurs to interest rates with five bumps to the Fed funds rate since December 2015, bond yields haven’t cooperated much.… Read more

Most investors are familiar with stock splits, but the real money is made when dividends “split.”

I’m talking about secure triple-digit returns in just 5 years (or less). And you could wind up with two dividend streams instead of one!

I’ve seen this strategy pay off time and time again.

And there’s really only one step: buy a recently spun off dividend-growth stock (or hold on to the “new” company if one of your holdings splits up) and tuck it away. Then watch as one—or both—take off into the stratosphere, cranking up their payouts as they go.

In the next few paragraphs, I’ll show you 2 spinoff stocks that have done just that, handing shareholders a 123% average return since they broke off from their parent companies no more than 5 years ago.… Read more

There’s one income-producing sector you probably hold in your portfolio—and you may be wondering why it’s crashing out this year.

I’m talking about utilities, which are famous for their rock-steady dividends (and predictable dividend hikes). These companies literally power the economy. But if utilities are so important, why are they in the toilet while the rest of the market is on fire?

Investors Loathe Utilities

Before we go further, if you’ve noticed your portfolio’s utility sleeve taking a dive like the one above—or bigger—don’t worry. This dip is a buying opportunity! I’ll give you one option paying a fat 8.7% dividend below.… Read more